The present invention relates to a pouring element adapted for attachment to a package via a base plate. The pouring element contains a pouring aperture, which after attachment, is designed to reside essentially congruent with a pouring hole formed in the package. The present invention contemplates attachment to a package having a tearable material layer covering the pouring hole located therein. A lid is hingedly attached to the base plate. The underside of the lid preferably contains a sealing structure for sealing the pouring aperture. An opening means is hingedly attached to the interior of the pouring aperture and extends essentially along the length thereof, such that, prior to the opening of the package, the opening means is maintained in a position relatively parallel to the tearable material layer covering the pouring hole. A support element may be hingedly attached to, and may extend from a top surface of the opening means. The tearable material layer covering the pouring hole can be torn by pressing the lid against the support element, which in turn causes the opening means to be pushed through the tearable material layer and into the package.
Pouring elements of this type are commonly used on packages containing free-flowing materials, such as cold, cold-sterile, hot, and aseptic liquids. Such packages commonly assume the form of cuboid flat-gabled cartons. These cartons are frequently constructed from a composite material comprising a carrier layer of paper or cardboard, a bonding agent layer, and a barrier layer (particularly of aluminum), with a plastic layer on both sides.
A known pouring element is described in the German published application DE 44 09 947 A1. The pouring element disclosed therein has a base plate, which allows the pouring element to be glued to a package. A lid is hingedly attached to the base plate. A cutting device is attached to the side of the lid, such that when the lid is hinged in the direction of the package the cutting device tears open an opening surface located thereon. While this known pouring element provides ease of use, it has the disadvantage of creating a relatively small pouring aperture. A further, and more significant disadvantage results from the cutting device being permanently attached to the lid. As the lid is also used to seal the package, each time the lid is swiveled anew into and out of the package, there exists the danger that the contents of the package will become polluted with contaminants that may collect at the free, upper-side of the lid.
An additional known pouring element of this type can be seen in the British patent application GB 2 267 896 A. In this known pouring element, an opening means is designed as a plate element hingedly connected with a rim of the pouring element. With the opening surface of the package to which the pouring element is attached untorn, the plate element is arranged in the pouring aperture and rests on the opening surface. During storage of the unopened package, the lid covers the pouring aperture so that contamination of the pouring aperture, the opening means, and the opening surface is safely avoided. However, in order to open the package, it is necessary to force the plate element through the material of the opening surface and into the package by applying pressure with a finger of the hand. In this manner, the plate element takes with it the respectively perforated opening surface material. Unfortunately, this method allows for the possibility that contamination adhering to the skin of the finger may enter the package or otherwise be lodged in the pouring aperture, thereby contaminating the contents of the package during the opening process or during the later pouring of the contents.
A similar pouring element is shown in WO 90/14280. The pouring element utilizes an element rigidly arranged on the lid to drive an opening means into the package to which the pouring element is attached. This pouring element is disadvantageous in regard to both its hygiene and its function. The opening element for pushing in the opening aperture of the package is rigidly hinged to the lid, and thus unprotected during transport and storage. Although contact with a finger is avoided in this invention, because of its complicated geometric shape, the opening element may trap contaminants, and therefore, may still possibly contaminate the contents of the package during the opening process. This pouring element is also functionally disadvantageous, because during the opening process the opening element is hinged through almost 180 degrees of rotation. To achieve this rotation, the composite portion of the package at the package opening aperture must also be bent by approximately the same amount. Such bending may result in restoring forces that may lead to separation of the pouring element from the package.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved pouring element of the type above-described, whereby the opening process of the package is simplified, and whereby the opening process is conducted hygienically so that the contents of the package are not contaminated.
According to the present invention, this object may be achieved through the use of a support element for assisting in the operation of an opening means. The support element is designed to be in communication with the opening means, and upon the first opening of the lid, to automatically raise itself into the hinged path thereof. The lid and the support element are thereby releasably coupled upon the moving of the lid to its closed position. Therefore, upon closing for the first time, the lid will contact the support element and thereby cause the opening means to penetrate the tearable material layer and enter the pouring hole of the package. Thus, a simple and hygienic opening of the package may be achieved.
In one embodiment of the pouring element of the present invention, with the package yet unopened, the opening means is arranged to reside in a pouring aperture and to be hingedly connected to a base plate. Preferably, a support element is integrally attached via a film hinge to an opening means in one piece and is retained in a position substantially parallel to the surface of the package, between the opening means and a lid. Therefore, when the lid is in a closed position, the support element is retained in a pre-tensioned position. In this design, during storage and transport of the package the pouring aperture is sealed by the lid.
Upon the first opening of the lid, the support element raises itself automatically into the hinged path of the lid. Subsequently, when the lid is later closed it will meet the raised support element attached to the opening means, and upon continued movement will cause the opening means to penetrate the tearable material layer covering the pouring hole of the package. After penetration, both the opening means and the support element will remain in a substantially vertical position, protruding into the package. However, because both the opening means and the support element were protected from contaminants during storage and transport, the contents of the package are not at risk of contamination by contact therewith.
Unhindered pouring of the contents of the package may be ensured, by providing a retaining device on the support element that automatically compresses during insertion of the support element into the pouring hole of the package. Once the opening means is completely inserted into the pouring hole, the retaining device automatically spreads apart in such a manner that its free end is supported by the interior of the package, thereby maintaining the inserted position of both the support element and the opening means within the package.
Alternately, or in addition to providing a retaining device on the support element, a catch element may be provided on the opening means to hold the opening means in an inserted position after the opening of the package. In this way, any potential obstruction to the pouring of the package contents by the opening means may be avoided.
The pouring element of the present invention can be of simplified design. For example, the bottom surface of the lid may have a circumferential ridge for sealing the pouring aperture when in a closed position. This circumferential ridge may also serve as a limit stop for the support element. Thus, portions of the pouring element may have multiple functions.
In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the pouring element may have a support element attached to the lid. In this embodiment, with the lid closed and the package unopened, the support element resides between the lid and the opening means. Upon opening of the lid, the support element automatically extends itself out therefrom. Thus, upon a first closing of the lid with the support element so extended, the support element will contact the opening means present in the pouring aperture, thereby forcing the opening means to penetrate the tearable material layer and extend into the pouring hole of the package. The opening means may remain in this inserted position, while the support element will be removed upon re-opening of the lid.
The opening means may also be formed onto the free end of the support element, thereby ensuring that even under unfavorable conditions, the opening means will be guided into the pouring aperture by the support element during closing of the lid. Such attachment is particularly effective if, for example, the opening means is designed to be substantially in the shape of an arrowhead. Such a design is also favorable to a reduction in production costs, as the support element and lid may be formed as a single component.
To avoid interference with the pouring of the contents of the package by the support element, it is preferable in this embodiment that the support element have the ability to be retained within the lid. The support element may be hinged into the underside of the lid, such that after the opening of the package, the support element may be snapped into a non-interfering position therein. Alternatively, or additionally, the support element may also be designed to be detachable from the lid. Each of the above designs helps to avoid the possibility of dirt collecting at the support element and entering the package.
Although not essential, preferably, the support element is bar shaped. A bar shaped support element efficiently allows the force required to open the package to be safely transmitted from the lid to the opening means.